Chris Cook, Artist, Painter. Southern Artist in Georgia

Night Cabin:

I am a “Mountain Person”. If you read the previous blog about mountains at dusk, you’ll understand my opinion about the two types of people in this world (beach and mountain). Which one are you?

When I say that I am a mountain person, I do not mean that I don’t like sitting on the beach, watching the waves roll in and breathing in the salt air. What I do mean is that there truly is no substitute for a few days, or even several hours spent in the crisp, clean mountain air. Many of my favorite memories from trips and vacations involved being in or around mountain streams, cabins, and campfires with the people that I love. There’s really nothing quite like being there.

Two memories in particular permeate my mind as I think about my fond memories of mountains. One is a time that I spent with a few close friends hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I can remember one of the clearest nights of my lifetime, sitting by the glow of a fire and staring across the gap at one of the most vast expanses of stars that I can remember. The other is a weekend retreat that my family took to a cabin in the North Georgia mountains. I can still remember sleeping in the loft, walking through the rustling leaves down by the creek, and the crisp feeling of the air on that weekend.

When I look at this painting by Chris, I find peace in my memories and thoughts of time in the mountains. I think that he does a very good job of composing this image. As a “mountain person” I take delight in all of the mountain elements that he brought into this picture. I love the glint of snow, the halo over the clouds from the bright moon, the towering trees, and the cool creek that is running beside the cozy cabin.

His art, regardless of the subject matter or style, seems to inspire emotion and evoke memories and feeling. I really like this painting because of the way that it makes me feel. Maybe i’m partial, but it really does make me feel good when I look at it.

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE.

Clothesline

I imagine that the days of clotheslines being the norm were definitely a “different” and probably a “simpler” time.

To me, clothes lines seem to signify a time in history when people weren’t rushed by the need for convenience and the speed of modern technology. If your clothes were out on the line, that was alright. I can’t see the people that used clothes lines feeling the need to be as hurried, pressured, and pushed for time as we are today.

Chris painted this picture on a very large canvas, big enough to be a focal piece in a family room, or entrance to a home. I feel like it serves as a great reminder to days past, and as an encouragement to us to slow down, maybe put the phones down and be willing to let life happen at its own speed, rather than hurry it along.

What do you think? Have you ever put clothes out on the line, and then sat back and sipped a glass of lemonade in the breeze? What do you do to take the time to sit back and simply enjoy life without all of the pressures and hurries of today’s busy life?

Golgotha – 3 Trees

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Matthew 27:33

On that day, some 2,000 years ago, the God of all the universe took it upon Himself to punish His one and only Son (God incarnate) once and for all for the sins of all mankind.

Though the people of both Roman and Jewish “Authority” could find no fault in him, they beat, accosted, and nailed an innocent man to a tree. They hung him there between two convicted criminals, cast lots for his clothing, and left him there to die.

On that day, the Sin debt of the entire world was paid in full, once and for all. Yours, mine, and even that person who just cut me off in traffic’s…

I’m reminded of a passage from one of my favorite hymns. “My sin, oh the bliss of that glorious thought. MY sin, not in part, but the whole. Was nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, oh my soul!”

Chris took an image of three trees, positioned in a field, to serve as a reminder of that glorious day that took place 20 centuries ago. What a great reminder of that awesome gift that was given to the world so long ago. I think it serves as a great reminder to us all as we see it of the unmerited gift that is freely given to anyone who would believe in Christ as Lord and Savior of their life.

Art speaks, and this picture is worth more than a thousand words. What a fantastic reminder that we all need to hear and remember daily.

Storm Clouds Rolling In

There’s nothing quite like getting to sit in a place where you can watch a storm roll in. Being able to see, smell, and hear the rain, lightning, thunder, as well as feeling the change in pressure and temperature is a truly awesome experience.

One of the perks of Madison’s location in the state is that we are relatively flat, and therefore we can typically see weather patterns rolling in from quite some distance. Chris took the opportunity to capture some storm clouds in this original painting on paper. As I look at it, I can almost imagine that i’m in a field in the summertime, maybe even hitting a swimming hole. I see the clouds in this painting, and can almost begin to feel the cooler air stirring and hear the faint rumble of thunder as the storm rolls on in.

Weather is one of those strange things about memories. So often, a specific time of year will have it’s own specific feeling, smell, and sights that all help to influence what we remember about different times. Take, for instance, the difference between a pop up shower in the spring, that might leave the air smelling of fresh flowers and cut grass, versus the steamy smell of post rain asphalt on a sunny summer day, or the crispness and almost dusty smell of wet leaves that accompanies a storm in the later months of fall.

Weather, like so much of our lives, factors greatly into how and what we remember about places, times, and events in our stories. This is just one snapshot from Chris’ memory banks, but it is one that I can relate to, and identify with as well.

What’s his story?

One of my favorite pastimes is to pick a random person, someone unknown to me, and to think to myself, “what’s their story?” It gives me an opportunity, albeit completely in my mind, to try and put myself into someone else’s shoes, and imagine their story. I might see a couple sitting on a park bench and think to myself, “he has the ring in his pocket. He’s known she was the one since the first date, and he’s finally ready to pop the question”. Or, I may see a young boy using a small stick as a laser blaster or sword, “he’s blasting storm troopers, or slaying members of the foot clan!”

I feel that, so often, the story behind a piece of art enlightens us to so much more about both the artist and the subject. In writing these blog posts for Chris, I have been able to get a lot of the “why behind the what” for many of the paintings that I’ve written about. How great would it be if we were about to know the truth behind the half smile of The Mona Lisa, or what The Thinker was actually thinking about?

I want to leave you with a question about the man pictured in the painting above. What is his story? Why might Chris have painted him sitting at the bus stop, with a sign for the drivers license station being in close proximity? How old is he? Why isn’t he driving? Comment below, and let us know what you think!

Yellow House – Madison, GA

The homes in Madison, GA are some of the most classically beautiful, and well maintained that I have seen in my lifetime. Many of them are Antebellum, and date back to the days of the Civil War and before. Several are plantation style, and have servant’s quarters in the back yards. It’s like a little piece of history, preserved forever here in my home town.

Growing up, I took the beauty of Madison for granted. I had the typical teenager complaint of being bored, and “having nothing to do”, citing arguments like “we need a bowling alley where the old Ingles used to be”, and “if we could just get a movie theatre”. Now that I am somewhat older, I appreciate the preserved beauty that is within the Historic District of Madison.

Chris does a fantastic job of capturing not only the beauty of this yellow home, but of the gorgeous landscaping and foliage that surround many of the homes in our community. This is another one of the images that Chris created with his digital painting program. He uses the tablet to “paint” the colors onto the page. While the yellow of the house is definitely prominent in this painting, I can not help but to be drawn to the beauty of the flowers, trees, and bushes around it.

I think that it is a great testament to Chris’ ability to be able to capture this home in such a realistic manner as to draw the viewer to feel and experience the landscaping around this gorgeous yellow house. There really is something special about Madison, it’s homes, and the feeling that they inspire. Chris captures all of those in this painting.

Night Beach

The beach really is a completely different place once the sun has set, and night has begun.

Gone are the hoards of scantily clad sun worshipers, seeking out a chance to bask in the glory of the big ball of fire in the sky. The remnants of engineering masterpieces that once were intricate sand castles and sculptures have crashed and eroded with the shifting tide, and washed out into the blue. The sands are littered with signs of the congregants who had gathered hours before, leaving behind footprints, beer cans, and the occasional hotel room key.

The droves of people who were once sprawled out, enjoying the rays of warmth are now replaced by sporadic couples and solitary pilgrims, meandering up and down the shore with their feet getting kissed by the waves as they roll in.

Chris depicted this beach in another Painting, but this one is of that same area at night. It’s amazing what night can do to change the entire perspective of how we see, use, and enjoy a particular thing or place. Take, for instance, a neighbor or loved one’s house, or a church. Even if you’ve been there 1,000 times before during the day, the place somehow becomes a whole new beast if you’re there at night (without as much light, that is).

I think Chris really does a good job of capturing the serenity behind being on the beach at night. There is something about the cooler air, and the way that the moon hits the waters that is reminiscent of, yet completely different than the bright and sometimes harsh summer days.

I’m almost reminded of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and it’s peacefulness and serenity. The colors and style of the painting seem to lend a calming effect. I, for one am so fair skinned, that I typically end up under an umbrella in the pool, or relaxing in the hotel room to avoid the lobster like impact that the sun and sand can have on my skin.

Ponte Vedra

With all of this talk of snow, I felt the need to dig into Chris’ “Works On Paper” category of his website to find something to take my mind off of the chill in the air.

This original painting on paper that Made is a wonderful ocean scene that makes me wish that I was sitting on a beach chair, smelling the salt air, and sipping one of those frozen drinks with the little bamboo umbrellas in it! I particularly like the effects that he created with the waves rolling into the shore. I just might have to fly south for the winter!

When I spoke to Chris about the “Works on Paper” section of his work, he explained it to me. He told me that sometimes, he uses works on paper to begin to brainstorm and draft out one of his larger paintings before he commits it to canvas. Other times, he simply uses the paper projects to express a moment in time and theme that he experienced.

I like browsing through this section of his work, because it continues to showcase just how versatile he is as an artist, and how the subject matter that he chooses to feature is not limited to any one particular genre or style.

Cain and Abel

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

This is an original piece of Chris’ art that he painted on paper. Many of his paintings on paper are precursors to his larger works on canvas, but some remain as a momentary expression on paper. Flipping through these is a glimpse into a very diverse and broad spectrum of what is Chris’ styles, subject matters, and techniques of his paintings. As I look through, I marvel at the breadth of variety and skill that Chris possesses.

This particular image of Cain murdering Abel in Genesis 4 strikes me as reminiscent of a primitive cave painting, and also makes me think of the scene in the movie 300 where young Leonidas is fighting his way through the Agoge. There is something about the primitive, animalistic, carnal act of violence that this passage of scripture depicts that reminds me of that scene in the movie.

It blows my mind to stop and think about this act, from the standpoint of how truly flawed and sinful humanity is without divine intervention. One generation removed from the fall of man, Cain finds enough animosity and hatred towards his own brother to rise up and kill him. On top of that, when GOD asks him about it, he has the audacity to get snippy with a remark like “am I my brother’s keeper?”!

As I pause and reflect on both this painting, and this moment in humanity, I am grateful that it only paints a picture of what humanity is capable of, not what we are bound to. I am grateful that God, in all of his infinite grace and wisdom chose not to leave us to our own devices, suffering in pain, sin, and separation. Today, I am grateful that he himself chose to come down and redeem us. He offers to wash us in his blood so that we can be white as snow, rather than stained and speckled by the blood of our fellow man…

Water’s Edge

If you follow this blog, or know Chris at all, you know two truths about him that stand out almost immediately. He is a gifted and talented creator (websites, sketches, paintings, etc) and he loves technology. He has been in on the forefront of website development and marketing since its early days in the 90’s. He has been able to showcase much of his creative talent by featuring his original artwork here at Madison Studios.

The painting above is a great example of Chris’ ability to fuse his talents with art and technology. The process behind this piece, and others like it, is intriguing. It began with a digital image that he took with a camera. He then imported it into a creative software program that he has (much like the ones you’ve seen the Pixar employees working on in the behind the scenes featurettes of your favorite movies). From there, he began to overlay digital “brushstrokes” onto the original image, using the photo as his guideline for creating the new painting.

This fusion of creative ability and harnessing technology is a large factor to what I feel makes Chris’ gift so special. His abilities are so diverse and broad that he is not limited to any one particular style, medium, or subject matter. He has been able to utilize the full gamut of his skills to create artwork that is beautiful and incorporates his diverse talents and abilities.

In short, this style of creating paintings is very indicative of who Chris is, both as an individual and as an artist. He’s able to combine much of today’s technology with the techniques and styles of traditional art into something new and exciting. I believe that being true to the old, while embracing new and current technologies and programs is the true path to consistent success in art, as is the case in many other aspects of life…

Chris Cook Artist

Kratos

Footprint

Kara

Chris Evans

Blind, Not Blind, Judged, Not Judged.

Untitled – Man Reaching

Woman at the Well

Untitled on Purpose